” About 15 years ago, shortly after Obama first took office, I read about the Cloward-Piven Strategy. Its goal was the redistribution of income and wealth, mandated by an all-powerful socialist federal government. “
There are different ways to look at this. I think the first thing to recognize is that this is not new. C-P is a specifically American implementation of a much older strategy.
de Jouvenal proposed that there was a strategy of High+Low against the Middle, which declining elites have often employed not maintain their power.
The Elite basically tax/rob the Middle to pay off the Low, and enrich themselves.
There are many examples of Revolutionary movements in the last two centuries doing this. Certain medieval kings and princes did it. The Roman Senatorial elite definitely did it.
One common strategy is they almost always supplement the numbers of the “Low” by bringing in people from outside the country. Often as slaves, sometimes as migrants or mercenaries. Those people are not tied to existing institutions of the Middle, and get paid off by helping the High take it away from the Middle.
And if you look across the West, that is exactly what we have.
And the “conservative” politicians who pretend to represent the Middle, they are actually part of the High, and are helping with the High-Low strategy.
l8r